Slide fastener



H. L. WILLIAMS SLIDE FASTENER Feb. 15, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Feb. 1 1946 INVEN TOR.

rzlgyl. Williams BY M. %,M %14 ATTORNEYS Feb. 15, 1955 H. 1.. WILLIAMS 2,701,903

SLIDE FASTENER Originl Filed Feb. 1, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 T1 til 1].

INVENTOR;

34 Harvey L. Wz'ZZzZIms ATTORNEYS SLIDE FASTENER Harvey L. Williams, Darien, Conn.

Original application February 1, 1946, Serial No. 644,700,

3 Claims. (Cl. 24205.15)

This invention relates to a new type of slider and end stop for use on slide fasteners or Zippers. This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 644,700, filed February 1, 1946, now Patent No. 2,621,- 387, dated December 16, 1952.

One object of this invention is to provide in a slide fastener a novel type of slider and end stop which may be secured slider to slider or slider to end stop. Another object of the invention is to provide more practical devices for releasably holding slide fasteners in open or closed position so as to avoid accidental closing or opening, said devices being employable either with or without conventional key operated positive locking means.

Other objects and advantages of the invention in use will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following specification and the accompanying drawings.

Although in this specification and the accompanying drawings I have shown and described preferred embodi ments of the invention and suggested various alternatives and modifications it should be understood that these are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the invention but on the contrary are given for purposes of explaining the invention and principles thereof and the best manner of applying the invention to practical use so that others skilled in the art may be enabled to modify and adapt the invention and to apply it in numerous forms each as may be best adapted to the conditions of a particular use.

Figure l is a diagrammatic side view of two interlocking sliders adapted to be locked together according to my invention showing their relation when approaching the interlocking position;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of two sliders shown'in said approaching relation;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing detail of interlocking means and a somewhat different angular relation of the interengaging vanes;

Figure 4 is a plan View, showing the sliders of Figure 3 in latched relation;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 2 but with a different form of latching hooks;

Figures 6 and 7 are diagrammatic views in elevation and plan, respectively, like Figures 1 and 2 but of sliders adapted to be locked in an open position;

Figure 8 is a plan view of two interlocking sliders and the bails shown in horizontal section;

Figure 9 is a view in side eelvation, partially broken away, of one of the sliders of Figure 8, showing particularly the latching bail;

Figure 10 is a diagrammatic plan view similar to Figure 2 of a slider in interlocking relation with a stop plate.

According to one embodiment of my present invention and unlike the simplest form of interlocking slides which has the conventional body with a flange for purposes of this invention and, in the case illustrated, serving also as the bail parallel to but offset from the center line, I place the bail at a slight angle to the longitudinal center line of the slider so a wedging action is created when two sliders of identical design are brought together, nose to nose, or when a slider is brought together with an end stop having a bail at a like angle with the hail of the slider. This is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 it will be noted that on each slider body 20 is mounted a bail 22 at an angle with and extending across the center line 24. The verti- Un ited States Patent 0 cal plane through the longitudinal center line of the slider at the point where this center line intersects the line form ing the contour of the nose of the slider at points 26 and 28, is at the contacting faces of the bails or even within the thickness of, or slightly beyond, the bails. Thus when the sliders are pushed completely together, the faces of the two bails will be in contact with each other and will be pressed closely to each other. The two holes 32 will be aligned with each other also, so that a pin, bolt, padlock or other device can be inserted therein to provide a positive security lock.

A similar action will take place if the bail on an end stop plate 34 in Figure 10 is mounted at the same angle as the bail on the slider. The present invention also provides for automatically locking two sliders together after they have been pushed into contact with each other or locking a slider to an end plate.

By this feature of the invention the bails are formed I with latching means so that the two sliders or the slider and end stop may not be separated from each other by a single force or motion parallel to the length of the slide fastener. In other words it is necessary to apply to the slider or to the end stop or to both sideways, twisting or other force in addition to a force or motion parallel to the length of the slide fastener.

In detail there are many ways in which this securing of one slider to another or of a slider to an end stop may be effected. The methods divide themselves into two clossifications. First, is the type of design or device which utilizes the sideways deflectability of the slide on the chain of the slide fastener against the normal tendency of the slide axis to remain parallel with the chain axis. This play is a rotational deflection, from normal parallel sliding relation, about a point approximately on the longitudinal center line of the slider and nearer to its small or throat end than to its nose or mouth end. Such'an arrangement. is illustrated in Figure 3 in a position where the sliders are approaching each other. Such a device'is illustrated in Figure 4 after the sliders have been brought in contact with each other and the bails have been locked together.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4 the slider bodies are indicated by 20 upon which bails are mounted. The nose of each bail 48 and 40 is bevelled so that as the bails approach each other, the one to the right will be deflected angularly in the direction indicated by arrow 42 and-the one to the left will be deflected angularly in the directionindicated by arrow 44 and each-biased toward the other by the yielding resistance of the chain. These rotational movements of the sliders are around centers of rotation assumed to be near the ends 46 and 48. The angular deflection from center line 24 may be measured as the angle between the center line and a line drawn between point 48 and point 50 on the right hand slider and between point 46 and point 52 on the left hand slider. The end of each bail is formed like a hook on adjacent surfaces 54 and 56. Notches 58 and 60 are cut to receive hook or point 52 and 50 respectively. In the closed position holes 62 and 64 align themselves so that a pin, bolt, padlock or other similar device may be inserted to lock them together when desired. As drawn in Figures 3 and 4 faces 54 and 56 of hooks 52 and 50 are perpendicular to the longitudinal center line of the slider. With such a design a simple twisting movement will dis-engage the bails and permit the sliders to be separated by a force parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slider. If faces 54 and 56 should be at an angle of less than with surfaces 52 and 50, as shown in Figure 5 it would be necessary to move the sliders slightly toward each other as well as to impart a twisting movement before the sliders could be dis-engaged by a force parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slider and the slide fastener. It is evident that the form of notch 58 and notch 60 must coincide with the form of hook 52 and 50. It is also evident that hook 52 and hook 50 might be formed by a combination of straight and curved surfaces or by a combination of two or more curved surfaces without straight surfaces so long as the effect of inserting a catch intcz1 a socket or a hook into a receiving indentation is use 7 It will be noted that in Figures 3-5 a bail mounted parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slider is shown. Such an arrangement would be equally applicable to a bail mounted at a slight angle from the longitudinal axis of the slider as indicated in Figure 1. Clearly one of. the two bails shown in Figures 3-5 could be mounted, on an end stop plate such as shown in Figure 10. .1 \noth'e r arrangement for interlocking the bails of the slider is shown in Figures 8 and9. Here bails 66 and. 68 are mounted on slider, bodies of conventional sort. Bail 6'6 is pierced by hole 70 and on the end of it has a stud 72. Bail 68 is, pierced byshole 74gand on it has a stud 76.

Eig'ureQshows bail 68 and indicates the position-of stud 76, hole 74 and the indentation 72A made to receive stud 72-. A similar indentation is located in bail 66 to receive stud 76; 2 2

. In Figure 8 it will be noted that the right hand slider is deflected as indicated by arrow 78, from its normal parallel relation to the chain axis and the left hand slider is deflected as indicated by arrow 80, so that there is a substantial angular displacement against the bias of the fastener. chain of the center line on each slider from the center line of the slide fastener itself. For the purpose of illustrationthis angular displacement is exaggerated over, that which would be used in an actual slide fastener. As this figure indicates, if bails 66 and 68 are so located that the maximum angular displacement of the slider against the bias of the chain is secured as stud 7 2 slides past stud,76 when the sliders approach each other, the stud will fall intov the respective indentations provided to receive them, and will be held yieldingly latched by the tendency of the fastener, chain to return to its straight condition until they. are disengaged by a twisting motion and an accompanying motion or force parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slide fastener. 2

It will be noted that, the holes 70 and 74 align with each other, thereby making it possible to insert a padlock or other device to secure the sliders together. Such holes may be omitted when the latching means are used.

It will be noticed that the shape of the bail so far as its profile in elevation is concerned is not material to the action of the stud and recess. Figures,6 and 7 illustrate that the type of bail heretofore described may be applied to the throat end 82 of a slider, instead of the nose end 84 and thus permit the slider so equipped to be latched in open position. Bail 86 pierced by hole 88 is mounted on slider 90, extending over the throat end 82. Hole, 88 may be aligned with a corresponding hole in the bail of another slider similar to where the bails extend over .the nose of the slider as in Figures 1 and 2 or an end plate as in Figure 10.

Similarly the arrangements of Figures 1 to 5 could be combined with like arrangements of Figures 6 and 7 to form a slider capable of interlocking with both another slider and end plate.

It is also to be noted that the openings through the bails shown in Figures 1 to 9 inclusive need not be circular as shown but may be in slot form or the like through which a key or other connecting member may be inserted.

I claim:

1. In a slide fastener assembly, sliders relatively movable toward and away from one another to open and close the slide fastener, said sliders having fixed bails thereon extending upwardly from the sliders, said bails having interclocking cam surfaces projecting across the center line of movement of the sliders adjacent to the leading edges of the bails, said cam surfaces being positioned to engage as the sliders move toward one another, each bail having an undercut farther from its leading edge than the cam surface but near the cam surface so that when the sliders move toward one another the cam surfaces snap past one another into said undercuts to lock the sliders.

2. In a slide fastener assembly, sliders relatively movable toward and away from one another to open and close the slide fastener, said sliders having fixed bails thereonextending upwardly from the sliders, said bails having interlocking cam surfaces projecting across the center line of movement of the sliders adjacent to the leading edges of the bails, said cam surfaces being positioned to engage as the sliders move toward one another, each bail having a complementary cavity adjacent to its cam surface but farther from the leading edge of the bail than the cam surface so that as the sliders move toward one another the cam surfaces snap past one another into the complementary cavities to interlock the bails. 2

3. In a slide fastener assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the undercut is a hole. 

